Among The Roses

Chapter 25: Covering Up

Ned's head bounced off the wall so hard he ricocheted into Chiara's body, and both of them went down. Chiara went in a potted plant, getting a dark smear of soil on her pretty skirt. Ned landed in Chiara's lap, knocking a few leaves off the plant and knocking it sideways.

Ned rose with a roar, landing a punch on Drew's jaw a second later, laying Drew out flat.

"Oh my god, Drew, what the fuck, you wanker!" Chiara's voice rang out, loud and clear, bringing the party to a skidding halt around them.

Security, who were near the doors and in the kitchen, stood, stolid and tall, watching for phones or other recording devices, as Drew, Chiara and Ned got themselves sorted out and rose, shaking heads, fists, and brushing off their clothes.

And suddenly, Luke Adesso, the guitar player, was in their midst, hands raised, saying, "Okay, everyone, show's over, as you were," and laughing, encouraging those in the room to go back to their carousing. Next to him his fiancée, Mara Davies, was laughing, arm around his waist, acting like it was all in good fun, pretending to be a little tipsy, flipping her blonde hair back as she giggled.

As soon as no one was looking, however, Luke had Drew in a vise-like grip, steely glare boring into him. "Not a word, you! Ned, and Chiara, is it? Follow me, please." And he turned and walked away, showing his sunny countenance to the room once more. Mara, also, helped Chiara with her skirt, but once again giggled as she faced the partiers and made a point of staggering a little as they exited the suite.

"Luke--" Drew began as they walked down the hall.

"Shut your fucking gob," was all Luke said as he hauled Drew into the next suite.

"You okay, love?" Mara asked, sitting Chiara down on the bed.

Chiara nodded in the affirmative.

"Look at Ned, though, please, look at his face."

"Don't worry," Mara soothed. "We've got someone coming to take care of Neddy right now."

Ned was in the bathroom, and they could hear the water running. "I canceled that, I'm okay," he called.

Next to them, Luke roughly threw Drew down on the bed, making Chiara bounce a little. "Now, what the bloody hell was going on back there?" he demanded. "I mean, what the fuck, Andrew?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Adesso," Drew muttered, working his jaw and wincing as he felt the swelling.

"You'd better start, right now, or I'm going to hit you myself," Luke retorted. "When you pull something like this, especially the day of a show on the fucking BBC, you affect all of us, and you fucking know it!"

Ned came out of the bathroom, holding some ice on the side of his face, next to his eye. "He saw me kiss her, out on the terrace, and he didn't like it, that's all."

Now Luke and Mara were both looking at Chiara, sitting on the bed in her soil-smeared skirt, color high on her cheeks.

She looked down at her lap, feeling ashamed, knowing it wasn't her fault, but unable to help it.

Drew saw this and felt terrible.

"Chiara, is that right?" Mara's voice was gentle as she knelt before Chiara and put her hand on Chiara's knee.

"I don't know if that's why he did it, but yeah, Ned and I kissed out on the terrace, and then we walked in, and the next thing I know Drew hauls off and punches Ned and knocks both of us over. Then Ned punched Drew, knocking him over, then you two were there, and here we are."

"So something happened before all this kissing and punching, I take it?" Luke asked shrewdly.

Chiara sighed, and again, Drew heard it and felt awful, so guilty.